International Writing Centers Association/National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing Joint Conference 2014
Like Disney’s Imagineers, we in writing centers “keep moving forward;” we, too, are curious explorers and inventors who combine imagination with technology, creativity with know-how. For the 2014 joint conference of the International Writing Center Association and National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing, then, we, in collaboration with conference keynote speaker Elizabeth Boquet, invite you to consider “The Wonderful World of Writing Centers,” to investigate the ways in which we in the writing center can make everyday magic for ourselves and the writers with whom we work.
We will meet at Disney’s Coronado Springs Hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida from Thursday October 30th to Saturday November 1st. Our considerations for our time together might include but are not limited to:
- What “new doors” are you opening in your writing center? What “new things” are you doing? What “new paths” should the writing center community – tutors, administrators, writers -- explore? Or avoid?
- How can we use curiosity and creativity to encounter the challenges faced in our writing centers?
- How can we combine new media technologies with creativity and to what ends?
- What are the possible roles of imagination in tutoring? In administration?
- How do we help students, faculty, and administrators reimagine their understanding of literacy, writing, and learning?
We are, in short, hoping to inspire presentations that combine research with reflection and introspection with data. Of course, we also welcome writing center scholarship on any topic of general interest to the writing center community. Proposals will be accepted until April 15, 2014.
Presentations will take the following format:
- Individual Presentations: 15-20 minute papers that will be combined into a panel by the program chairs
- Panel Presentations: 3 to 4 presentations of 15-20 minutes each on a particular theme or question
- Round Tables: 15 minutes of introductory comments/question framing by the presenters and then a discussion among attendees.
- Poster Presentations: A research-fair style presentation of research in which the presenter(s) create a visual argument and informally discuss their research with attendees.
- Workshop Session: 75-minute interactive session in which leaders will guide participants through the investigation of a new area of knowledge.